WVU in the News: Industry cites 3M research on cancer patients exposed to PFOA to claim them chemical isn't so bad
Defenders of the chemicals known as PFAS have seized upon an industry-funded study of cancer patients as evidence that PFOA, the compound used to make Teflon, firefighting foam, and many other products, isn’t as dangerous as it seems.
The study, which was funded by the Minnesota-based global conglomerate 3M and published in February 2018 in the journal Toxicological Sciences, was based on a clinical trial conducted by the company CXR Biosciences, in which 49 terminal cancer patients were exposed to high doses of PFOA. Now recognized as a widespread water contaminant, PFOA was originally developed by 3M.
WVU School of Public Health Department of Occupational and Environmental Health Scieces Professor Emeritus Dr. Alan Ducatman weighed in on the study in a recent article for The Intercept.